In U.S. Pat. No. 5,698,250 of Gary R. DelDuca et al., which is assigned to Tenneco Packaging Inc., a "modified atmospheric package" was claimed. This package contained " . . . an oxygen scavenger activated with an activating agent . . . . " According to the patentees, the oxygen scavenger is necessary because "Low-level oxygen systems relying upon evacuation techniques to diminish oxygen levels suffer from several disadvantages . . . the evacuation techniques render it difficult to remove any oxygen within a previously wrapped package such as an overwrapped meat tray . . . . The trapped oxygen raises the residual oxygen level in the package and can also cause billowing and subsequent damage to the package during evacuation" (see lines 3-15 of column 2 of this patent). The entire disclosure of this patent is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification. Furthermore, each of the prior art references cited during the prosecution of this patent are also hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved packaging system for preserving perishable items.